Publius Forum

Friday, November 28, 2008

Army Pilot, Retired Marine Father Receive Silver Star Awards During Special Ceremony.

By Spc. George Welcome101st Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (29 Nov. 2008) — Thirty years separate the conclusion of the Vietnam War and the start of the Global War on Terrorism. While time, tactics and technology have made today’s military vastly different from the one which fought in the jungles of Vietnam, the common denominator in the two conflicts is the American service member, whose bravery and sacrifices secure peace and freedom for America and its allies.

It is a rare occurrence when a Soldier receives a Silver Star for courage under fire. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Harris became one of the few Soldiers to receive the prestigious award on the evening of Nov. 28, during a ceremony at Combined Joint Task Force-101 Headquarters. But the fact that his father, Retired Staff Sgt. Gary Harris, was also presented with a Silver Star made the event all the more special.

Through the magic of video teleconferencing, the Harris family got to watch as the younger Harris was presented the Silver Star by Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, CJTF-101 commanding general, from the conference room at Fort Campbell, Ky. Meanwhile, Soldiers from CJTF-101 watched the video screen, as the elder Harris was pinned with not only the Silver Star, but a Bronze Star he earned as a Marine serving in Vietnam, which were never formally presented to him.

"It's very rare that we present the Silver Star," Schloesser explained to those in attendance at both Fort Campbell and Afghanistan. "We have a very high standard and we make sure that the few who do earn it have done so through selfless sacrifice. It's clear that Mr. Harris did that, and it is also clear that the nation owes a debt to Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Gary Harris, it was almost 40 years ago that he earned it, and I hope in some small way that we can pay back that debt by presenting him his award with his son's today."

Personal courage and selfless service run deep in the Harris family bloodline, as both father and son reacted similarly in their encounters with enemy forces, by risking their lives to ensure the safety of their comrades.

The elder Harris displayed this courage on Aug. 15, 1969 when as a squad leader in Vietnam, his company which was patrolling the outer perimeter near Gol Ree, was attacked with mortar and rocket fire. He quickly directed the members of his squad to return fire on the enemy. As the attack died down, he moved his squad closer to the perimeter, which had been weakened during the barrage. As the enemy resumed its assault, he directed his squad to return fire once again, breaking the enemy attack. During the engagement, he risked his life by helping medics aid wounded Marines and helped bring them to safety.

The younger Harris also displayed bravery in the face of danger by exposing himself to enemy fire. On July 2, 2008, Harris, who is a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot assigned to Company C, 5th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, landed his helicopter at a landing zone near Gardez, Afghanistan, to pick up infantry Soldiers for transport, when his aircraft came under attack by enemies using rocket propelled grenades, a heavy machine gun and various assault rifles.

With the aircraft on fire, Harris and crew manage[d] to fly it a short distance before putting it down again. After safely exiting the burning helicopter, the entire crew took up a defensive posture. They managed to contact a CH-47 Chinook, which was in the area to help extract them from the battlefield. As the Chinook landed, the enemy resumed fire. It was then that Harris, who was helping one of his wounded crew chiefs to the helicopter, exposed himself to fire by engaging and killing an approaching enemy combatant. He entered the helicopter only after ensuring that the members of his crew, the ground forces and the quick reaction force were safely aboard.

"Mr. Harris has been great since the incident," said Sgt. DeeJay Norby, a crew chief who was also involved in the action at Gardez. "He didn't get down or anything afterward; he went right back to business doing his job. It's really awesome getting to fly with a great group of pilots and crew chiefs."

This was not the first award that Harris received during the deployment; he was also presented with the Air Medal with Valor device.

In his short address, Harris thanked his flight crew and the crew of the Chinook that performed the rescue operation. "I'm so lucky to serve with so many great heroes," said Harris. "Without them, the outcome might not have been so good."

He also gave a heartfelt thank you to his father, whose life and service set the example for him. "Every time people thank us for our service, I tell them to thank a Vietnam vet; so dad I want to thank you today."

Simply AWESOME! Thank you both! And thanks to all the other people who helped. Godspeed.

May you walk with the LORD always, and when you cannot take another step, may He carry you the rest of the way until you can walk along side Him again.

Everyday I have an Open Trackback Linkfest party for all my friends - the ones I know and the ones I will come to know. If you have a post you would like to share, why not trackpost it here? All you have to do is add my Permalink somewhere in your article (usually at the bottom), then trackback to it. You don't have trackbacks available? Why not use Wizbang Stand Alone Trackback? Everyone have a nice day.

Friends who've shared their posts for your reading pleasure:1. Rosemary's News and Ideas: From VietNam To Afghanistan: A Family Of Heroes.This is an amazing family of heroes who have been protecting our country and our lives for generations. They both earned the Silver Star and were presented it today, but Harris' Dad earned his 39 years ago during the VietNam War. It's about time!2. Faultline USA: Bill Clinton Will Disclose List of Donors.According to several news sources former President Bill Clinton will attempt to clear the way for Senator Hillary Clinton to be nominated as secretary of state by disclosing the names of over 200,00 donors to his foundation...3. Conservative Cat: If Momma Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy.WARNING!!! Beyond this line lies... The Ellie Zone It's filled with fluffy bunnies and pink decorations! *shudders* Enter at the risk of your sanity. *tears down the pink and fluffiness* Ok. Maybe not fluffiness. *puts fluffiness back* But Pink has...4. Wall of the City: too easy to fix.This topic has been raging for a few weeks now, so I guess it is time for me to weigh in. My solution for the "problem" posed by homosexual "marriages" is simple: Get the government out of the marriage business...5. Beagle Scout: The Real Cost of Government Regulation is Paid With Human Lives.The US government has set the price of a human life for the purposes of new regulations at 7 million dollars...6. The World According To Carl: Uncle Jay Explains The News — December 1, 2008.Uncle Jay's news word for this week is interim...7. The World According To Carl: College Football — MSU Bulldogs, FSU Seminoles & NO Saints.Well, this weekend was a major bummer for me in regards to football both college and pro. All three football teams of which I am a fan (Mississippi State Bulldogs, Florida State Seminoles, & New Orleans Saints) all lost this weekend. Of the three,...8. Leaning Straight Up: Barack Obama bought a ring, e i e i o….So one of the blog headlines on Drudge and in various email alerts was this story about Obama buying Michelle a 30k Diamond encrusted Rhodium ring to say thanks. Michelle Obama is to receive this $20,000 thank you from her husband for her support duri...9. Right Voices: AP: Atheists continue to win friends, influence people.With a nod to the winter solstice - the year's shortest day, occurring in late December - the placard reads, in part, "There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds." Tr...10. Woman Honor Thyself: Spoiled Kids = Violent Teens.Observe young adults: They strut around, with their pants near their ankles, walking in front of vehicles travelling 47 mph with some overblown sense of entitlement...

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that His justice cannot sleep for ever."

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Below you will find this week's blogburst regarding the argument about the Memorial to be built in Pennsylvania. What is the main issue? The people who designed the Memorial insist on not only including the nuts that caused the crash, but to make it as a symbol of the largest mosque heading towards Mecca (taking a flight map, not straight from point A to point B. Those are two different points). Please read this and if you agree, won't you consider joining us in trying to stop this? Thank you.

No, the Mecca-orientation of the Crescent of Embrace is NOT a product of the landform.

Defenders of the Flight 93 memorial repeatedly insist that the Mecca orientation of the giant crescent HAS to be a coincidence. It is completely determined, they insist, by the landform, the path of Flight 93, and the impact point, leaving no room for intent to enter.

Of course it is crazy to think that, so long as it is just an unfortunate coincidence, there is nothing wrong with planting a giant Mecca-oriented crescent (the central feature of a mosque) on the graves of our murdered heroes. About as crazy, actually, as thinking that the Mecca-orientation of the giant crescent could really be a coincidence. First architect Paul Murdoch just innocently comes up with a half mile wide Islamic-shaped crescent to honor the victims of Islamic terrorism, then he innocently places the Sacred Ground Plaza between the tips of the giant crescent, in the position of the star on an Islamic crescent and star flag, then he innocently just happens to point this entire crescent-and-star-flag configuration at Mecca (and on and on and on).

When the nation saw the second airliner hit the Trade Towers, everyone immediately knew that the first impact was no accident. The more airplanes that Paul Murdoch flies into the Flight 93 memorial, the more the Memorial Project thinks it HAS to be an accident. It's just TOO OUTLANDISH to think that an Islamic enemy could attack us out of the blue and unaware in such a henious way. What precedent is there for thinking that such a thing could even be possible? (Knock, knock, knock.) So the more evidence they are confronted with, the more impossible it seems and the more they insist that Murdoch HAS to be innocent.

Okay. So they are willfully blind. Even so, they still need excuses to hang onto their willful blindness, and part of Murdoch's evil genius is to supply these excuses. That is where this trope about the crescent design being dictated by the landscape comes from. It comes from Murdoch, and is actually one of his most brilliant deceptions.

Murdoch's PRELIMINARY DESIGN actually can be seen as dictated by the landform, the flight-path, and the point of impact

Before any designs were submitted, the Memorial Project gave all the design contestants a site organization map that labeled the "the ridgeline", "the bowl", "the crash site", and "the flight path". Architect Paul Murdoch claims that all he did was combine these elements by having the flight path symbolically "break" the circular bowl shape, creating the giant Crescent of Embrace design. If you start a crescent at the point where the flight path crosses the ridgeline, and follow the rim of "the bowl" around the ridgeline to create a crescent that "embraces" the Sacred Ground where Flight 93 crashed, then you get the Crescent of Embrace design. Since this procedure uniquely determines the orientation of the crescent, there is no room for the orientation to be determined by anyone's intent. If it faces Mecca, it HAS to be a coincidence.

This argument actually works, but only when applied to Paul Murdoch's ORIGINAL Crescent of Embrace design, which did NOT point to Mecca. Take a look:

The site organization map (left), shows "the bowl" bordered by "the ridge" along with the flight path and the crash site. Murdoch's preliminary Crescent of Embrace design (right), uses the point where the flight path crosses the ridge/bowl as the end point for a crescent that has the Sacred Ground centered between its crescent tips. Resulting orientation: 11.1°clockwise from north, which is 44.1° north of Mecca.

The explanatory notes in the preliminary design are perfectly accurate when they describe the crescent as focused on the Sacred Ground:

A curving arc of maple trees along a walkway unites the ridge and forms an edge to the bowl, with a focus on the Sacred Ground.

It is also correct to say that this crescent and its orientation are uniquely determined (to within 5° or so) by the landform, the flight path and the crash site. If the crescent arc were extended much further then it would no longer point to the Sacred Ground. (The amount of curve between the end points of the crescent does not matter. Murdoch established the curve of his original crescent by smoothing the curved shape of the ridge line.)

If this crescent is uniquely determined by the combination of landform, flight path and crash site, then the final Crescent of Embrace design, rotated 42.3° further to the east, obviously CANNOT be determined by these factors. By extending the crescent in his final design to match the full Islamic crescent shape (covering about 2/3rds of a circle of arc), Murdoch created a crescent that no longer points to the Sacred Ground:

The bisector of the crescent in Murdoch's final Crescent of Embrace design points approximately 1.8° north of Mecca (marked "qibla"). Notice that the bisector of this Mecca-oriented crescent does not even touch the Sacred Ground, but crosses through the upper portion of the Sacred Ground Plaza that sits up the flight path from the Sacred Ground.

While the crescent no longer points to the Sacred Ground, Murdoch still PRETENDS that it does. Asked last summer about the orientation of the crescent, Project Superintendent Joanne Hanley and architect Paul Murdoch both claimed that it points to the Sacred Ground:

Further, [Hanley] added, it is still unclear exactly where on the landscape the memorial will even be situated. It could move as much as 200 yards, she said, discounting the idea that it faces Mecca.

"The only thing that orients the memorial is the crash site," she said.

Mr. Murdoch reinforced that idea.

"It's oriented toward the Sacred Ground," he said. "It just couldn't be clearer."

Hanley may be honestly duped, but Murdoch knows full well that the crescent does not point to the Sacred Ground. Such an orientation would ruin his mosque design, not just because a Sacred Ground oriented crescent would no longer point to Mecca, but also because it would place the graves of the infidels in the location of the star on an Islamic flag, leaving them inside the symbolic Islamic heavens. Blasphemy!

Murdoch has a very different symbolism in mind for the star on his giant crescent and star flag. In the top third of the Sacred Ground Plaza, centered on the bisector of the giant crescent in the exact position of the star on an Islamic flag, sits a separate upper section of [the] Memorial Wall inscribed with the 9/11 date. The date goes to the star on the Islamic flag. The date goes to the terrorists.

The duping of David Beamer

At this August's public meeting of the Memorial Project, David Beamer (father of Flight 93 hero Todd Beamer) came out to counter Tom Burnett Sr.'s protests against the crescent design.

Mr. Beamer declared that he had performed several months of due diligence investigating the warnings about the crescent design, by which he presumably meant that he had checked at least a few of our factual claims like the Mecca orientation of the giant crescent (now called a broken circle), but instead of reporting the results of his fact-checking, Mr. Beamer changed the subject. He did not say a single word about the accuracy of any of our claims, [he] only reported how he had met with architect Paul Murdoch and was satisfied that Murdoch's design properly honors his son and the other murdered heroes of Flight 93.

If he actually did any fact checking, then he is fully aware that the giant crescent DOES point within 2° of Mecca , in which case there is only one plausible explanation for Beamer declaring the design innocent. Murdoch must have convinced him that the crescent orientation is determined by the landform, the flight path and the crash site, so that its orientation on Mecca HAS to be coincidence.

If Mr. Beamer had bothered to talk to the person who has been warning of an enemy plot, then Alec Rawls would have explained to him that no, these physical facts about the crash site do NOT yield a Mecca-oriented crescent. They yield a crescent that points 44° north of Mecca. It is a very strange concept of due diligence to trust the assurances of the who is an enemy operative while refusing to talk to the person who is issuing warnings

Very strange, too, to think that just because one is convinced that the Mecca orientation of the crescent is a coincidence that somehow makes it okay to deny the Mecca orientation when speaking to the press and the public as several Project spokesmen have now done. The fact that Mr. Beamer and Hanley and other Project Partners have been duped be Murdoch"s explanations would be of little consequence if they just let the public know what they know so the American people can decide for themselves whether the fact that it might be a coincidence makes it okay to plant the world's largest Mecca-direction indicator on the Flight 93 crash site.

Obviously the answer would be "NO!", and this nightmare would be over. It is the lying that is the problem. Hanley et. al. can be a bunch of dupes if they want, but they have no right to deceive the public about what they know.

"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favors."

–George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789

Yes, George. That would be the ideal, but you must understand. Just because you fought in the Revolutionary War and were the our very first president, you do not understand the plain written constitution. At least that is what the Left/Marxists would like us all to believe! Bravo for what you said then. It is just as profound today.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

What about the Somalian pirates? Ah, yes. Now you look, but what do you really know? For example, did you know that the middle east has been using sub-saharan Africa as a gateway to Mexico so they can enter the United States?

Yes, this is happening more and more often. Especially since our media refuses to educate the masses that are too stupid to handle the truth...or is it that they are just too lazy to track it down? Hmm, I'll leave that to you to decide. On with the article.

I like to read Douglas Farah's site, because he keeps his eyes, ears, and whatever body part is available to the ground when it comes to Africa. He is a counter-terrorism expert, and he has authored the book, "BLOOD FROM STONES", the secret financial network of terror.

The growing ties between criminal and terrorist groups (often one and the same when it comes to Hezbollah's broad activity in Western and Central Africa) has been noted. The Congress authorized the creation of the new Africa Command (Africom) largely because of the terrorist threat in the region.

But what is the real threat? Again I return to the pipeline metaphor, and Africa is more and more frequently a important part of that pipeline structure.

The ring was run by a 26-year-old named Mohammed Kamel Ibrahim, living in Mexico and using the moniker "Silk the Shocker." For $5,000 he offered to have his clients met by corrupt Mexican officials and sent on to the United States.

What is astonishing is the number of countries through which this network moved people. Like water running downhill they simply took the path of least resistance at any given moment. My full blog is here.

If you continue reading this article, you will find there are several ways in which corrupt governments - including the Mexican government - are aiding in the spread of jihadism. This is one of the very important reasons why we must remain ever vigilant on the issue of gaining control of and keeping it of our borders.

Not only our borders by land but by that of sea. Yes, they are planning something which will occur because someone got into America through the sea. We must press our government to gain control of our harbors. Also, they must give the Coast Guard proper training and equipment to face our enemy head-on. We are all counting on them as well, and it's about time we showed it.

"It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage, and such only, as he believes to be acceptable to Him. This duty is precedent both in order of time and degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society. Before any man can be considered as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe."

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Have you visited The Talon yet? That is where I write every Tuesday. There are 7 other talented writers who also write for the Eagles UP blog. Please show us some love, and stop over. Better yet, register! ;)

International Atomic Energy Agency's chief scumbag, El Baradei, has taken it upon himself to endanger the whole world by seeking to allow Syria to obtain a nuclear power plant that will not 'violate' or need their supervision. Just like the ones in Iran and North Korea. Doesn't that make you feel better? The article is in Ha'aretz under the title, "IAEA chief ElBaradei: Let Syria have nuclear aid".

Here is a brief quote:

An IAEA report last week said a Syrian building demolished in an Israeli air raid last year bore similarities to a nuclear reactor and uranium particles, possibly remnants of pre-enriched nuclear fuel, had been found in the area.

But it stressed the findings were preliminary and more on-site checks, and Syrian documentation to prove its denials of covert nuclear activity, were needed to draw conclusions. [Continue reading.]

If this was the other way around, if Syria had attacked Israel, the un would not even bat an eye. They wouldn't even acknowledge that anything unlawful occurred. This is one way to determine who our enemies are. The old double cross.

I suppose all of my writing to representatives, senators, the UN, etc, made no impact when it came to getting this man fired. I find no satisfaction in being correct that he is a muslim spy for the Middle East. This of course means the terrible things we do not know about will most certainly fall upon me as well.

I do not think as some on the naive side of this issue. I do not just ask, 'What business is it of MINE?' No. I care about you as well, even if you don't. This is getting to be overwhelmingly frustrating. And Obama wants to give the UN $50 BILLION more dollars? God, please protect us.

May you walk with the LORD always, and when you cannot take another step, may He carry you the rest of the way until you can walk along side Him again.

Everyday I have an Open Trackback Linkfest party for all my friends - the ones I know and the ones I will come to know. If you have a post you would like to share, why not trackpost it here? All you have to do is add my Permalink somewhere in your article (usually at the bottom), then trackback to it. You don't have trackbacks available? Why not use Wizbang Stand Alone Trackback? Everyone have a nice day.

Friends who have shared their posts for your reading pleasure: 1. Rosemary's News and Ideas: IAEA To West: Drop Dead.2. The World According To Carl: Surgery: Thyroidectomy Update [FINAL].Good news in one word: BENIGN...3. Woman Honor Thyself: Thanksgiving Wishes.At our place, you'll find mountains of turkey and pie, (apple, blueberry, cherry and pumpkin..oh my!) Sweet yams and mashed potatoes piled high to the sky...4. Blog @ MoreWhat.com: The Downside of Elections as Term Limits.…the public’s long standing reaction to elect someone new or retain an experienced lawmaker for all the wrong reasons...5. Right Voices: Happy Thanksgiving. [...]6. Leaning Straight Up: Thanksgiving 2008.Every year at Thanksgiving we tend to pause, and consider what we have to be thankful for. This year it's a bit harder than usual. Back in August my grandmother passed away, an event that shook me deeply. It was not that I was particularly...7. Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker: Happy Thanksgiving to all.I just want to wish all my friends and family a very Happy Thanksgiving. With all of the issues and problems in the world, today is one day we can set it all aside and give thanks for all the blessings we do have...

"I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground that 'all powers not delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states or to the people.' To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power, not longer susceptible of any definition."

—Thomas Jefferson (Opinion on the Constitutionality of a National Bank, 15 February 1791)

Monday, November 24, 2008

WASHINGTON (Nov. 24, 2008) – Tough economic times are no excuse for the international community to withhold support for Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters returning with him Nov. 21 from a two-day defense ministerial in Nova Scotia, Canada. Gates called it shortsighted for some to consider cutting troop support or funding in Afghanistan, particularly in light of the threats that remain there. “They’ll have to weigh the consequences of not doing it,” he told reporters.

The secretary said during a news conference in Cornwallis, Canada, that Afghanistan poses “some significant challenges,” with insurgents finding sanctuary in the western border area and new recruits joining the insurgency during the past two years. A key to countering this, he said, is to continue going after the Taliban, al-Qaida and other threats while building Afghan security forces so they can assume full responsibility for the country’s security.

NATO is building a trust fund to underwrite the effort and nearly doubling the Afghan security forces to 134,000 members. Despite its estimated $17 billion price tag, Gates called it a solid investment. “There is a huge disproportion between what it costs to train and equip an Afghan soldier and what it costs to put an American soldier in Afghanistan, trained and equipped and sustained,” he said. “It is an order of many orders of magnitude, [and that’s] true of other countries as well.” Ultimately, he said, it’s in everyone’s best interest to speed up the process in building up the Afghan national security forces. “Over the long term, your interests in getting out [of Afghanistan] are served by making a contribution to expanding the Afghan army.”

Gates said during a NATO defense ministerial last month in Bucharest, Hungary, that he encountered no “push-back” on either the expansion of the Afghan National Army or creation of a NATO trust fund to help pay for it. “I think there is a broad understanding that, ultimately, the expansion of the Afghan security forces is everybody’s ticket out of there,” he told reporters.

Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay, who hosted last week’s meeting, reiterated the call for other NATO countries to support the effort through trainers, equipment or funding. “Other countries should be under no illusion,” MacKay said. “We are still asking for them to pick up the slack and share the burden.”

"The Hand of providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations."

Sunday, November 23, 2008

There has been parades in the past for the return of our brave men and women, a celebration of their efforts, their successes, and remembrance of those who gave all. While we did not stick a pole in the ground and declare, 'Victory In Iraq Day', it would be less honorable to leave this up to a man who tried his best to lose this war for his own political gain. For shame!

I was over at Stop The ACLU where I found another article over at Blackfive's website. (Actually, Stop the ACLU has a very long list of everyone who is joining in this effort.)

I believe our men and women deserve a great big parade to thank them and welcome them home. Of course there will still be some troops there, but there are still troops in Germany and Japan! Come on, we owe them this little piece of gratitude. This is the least we can do.

Blackfive has been suggesting this for quite a while now. So have many people. So what do you say? Would you like to join in the effort to get this on the calendar? Write a post, write a letter to the editor, e-mail your Senators, e-mail your Congressperson, e-mail President Bush! You can find your Representative's and Senators' here and the President's e-mail here. Have a nice day.

PS. I know the 22nd was yesterday, but I'm not going to miss out just because of that little fact. If I had known, I would have had something written. lol.

Here is the list of all the folks who have taken up this task so far: Gateway Pundit

This is a video that was created using some of the devastation of September 11, 2001, and many other wars. The Gettysburg Address was written and delived on November 19, 1863.

The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here...but it can never forget what they did here. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. ...that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain...that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. President Abraham Lincoln.

Yes, indeed.

Update: My, my. They just keep coming out of the woodwork! This one is a video which CBS is refusing to air...so I will.

I just wish she would have been on the top of the ticket, and McCain would have been a Senator without anything to do with this election. But that's my problem, right? For now...

May you walk with the LORD always, and when you cannot take another step, may He carry you the rest of the way until you can walk along side Him again.

Everyday I have an Open Trackback Linkfest party for all my friends - the ones I know and the ones I will come to know. If you have a post you would like to share, why not trackpost it here? All you have to do is add my Permalink somewhere in your article (usually at the bottom), then trackback to it. You don't have trackbacks available? Why not use Wizbang Stand Alone Trackback? Everyone have a nice day.

Petition to Barack Hussein Obama for a Proclamation of Apology for the Democratic Party's 150-year History of Racism.

We, black American citizens of the United States and the National Black Republican Association, declare and assert:

WHEREAS, the healing of wounds begins with an apology, and the Democratic Party has never apologized for their horrific atrocities and racist practices against black Americans during the past 150 years, nor held accountable for the residual impact that those atrocities and practices are having on us today,

WHEREAS, as a result of the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot Commission Report of May 31, 2006, the North Carolina Democratic Party issued a unanimous apology on January 20, 2007 for the Democratic Party's 1898 murderous rampage against blacks,

WHEREAS, inner-city minister Rev. Wayne Perryman wrote a book, "Unfounded Loyalty: An In-depth Look Into The Love Affair Between Blacks and Democrats", and filed a lawsuit against the Democratic Party on December 10, 2004, but, after admitting their history of racism under oath in court, the Democrats refused to apologize,

WHEREAS, history shows that the Democratic Party through its racist agenda and "States' Rights" claim to own slaves, sought to protect and preserve the institution of slavery from 1792 to 1865, thus enslaving millions of African Americans, while the Republican Party was started in 1854 as the anti-slavery party, fought to free blacks from slavery and championed civil rights for blacks,

WHEREAS, the Democratic Party enacted fugitive slave laws to keep blacks from escaping from plantations; instigated the 1856 Dred Scott decision which legally classified blacks as property; passed the Missouri Compromise to spread slavery into 50% of the new Northern states; and passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act designed to spread slavery into all of the new states,

WHEREAS, the Democratic Party in the South formed the Confederacy, seceded from the Union and fought a Civil War (1861 to 1865) to expand slavery where over 600,000 citizens were killed, including many thousand blacks,

WHEREAS, starting in 1861, anti-Civil War Democrats in the North were called "copperheads" like the poisonous snake because they (a) wanted to appease the South and accept a negotiated peace that would have resulted in an independent Confederacy where blacks were kept in slavery, and (b) showed their deep opposition to the Civil War draft by taking their anger out on blacks, murdering and maiming blacks in virtually every Northern state,

WHEREAS, anti-Civil War Democrats in New York engaged in "Four Days of Terror" against the city's black population from July 13-16, 1863, and the anti-Civil War chant of the Democrats, as reported by one Pennsylvania newspaper, was: "Willing to fight for Uncle Sam", but not "for Uncle Sambo,"

WHEREAS, the anti-Civil War Democrats verbally attacked Republican President Abraham Lincoln because he wanted to free the slaves through war and grant blacks civil rights, and drafted Northern men into the army to fight and die to make his Emancipation Proclamation a reality – a Proclamation that became the source of the Juneteenth celebrations that occur in black communities today,

WHEREAS, after the Civil War, the Republican Party (a) pushed to amend the Constitution to grant blacks freedom (13th Amendment), citizenship (14th Amendment) and the right to vote (15th Amendment); (b) passed the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875; and (c) designed Reconstruction, a ten-year period of unprecedented political power for African Americans,

WHEREAS, anti-civil rights Democrat Andrew Johnson became president when Republican President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, and after the Civil War, the Democratic Party fought to end Reconstruction and deny blacks the promised "40 acres and a mule;" fought to overturn all civil rights legislation from the 1860's to the 1960's; and passed repressive legislation including the Black Codes and Jim Crow laws,

WHEREAS, the book "A Short History of Reconstruction" by the renowned historian, Dr. Eric Foner, revealed that: (a) the Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866 by Democrats as a Tennessee social club; (b) the Ku Klux Klan became a military force serving the interests of the Democratic Party, the planter class, and all those who desired the restoration of white supremacy; and (c) the Ku Klux Klan spread into other Southern states, launching a ‘reign of terror‘ against Republican leaders, black and white,

WHEREAS, the book "A Short History of Reconstruction" by Dr. Eric Foner exposed the facts that: (a) the Hayes-Tilden Compromise of 1877 was an attempt by Republicans to get the Democrats to stop lynching Republicans, black and white, and respect the rights of blacks; and (b) contrary to legend, President Rutherford Hayes did not remove the last federal troops from the South, but merely ordered federal troops surrounding the South Carolina and Louisiana statehouses to return to their barracks,

WHEREAS, after taking control of Congress in the late 1800's, the Democratic Party passed the Repeal Act of 1894 that overturned civil rights legislation passed by the Republicans, including the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875,

WHEREAS, the Democratic Party supported the "Plessy v. Ferguson" decision in 1896 that established the "separate but equal" segregation doctrine,

WHEREAS, historical documents show that: (a) in an effort to stop the Democrats from lynching and denying civil rights to blacks, the NAACP was founded on Republican President Abraham Lincoln's 100th birthday, February 12, 1909, by white Republicans Oswald Garrison Villard, Mary White Ovington and William English Walling; and (b) the first black general secretary of the NAACP was black Republican James Weldon Johnson who became the general secretary of the NAACP in 1920 and, in 1900, wrote the song, "Lift Every Voice," known as the "Black National Anthem" in collaboration with his brother, John Rosamond Johnson,

WHEREAS, after Democrat President Woodrow Wilson was elected in 1912 and while Congress was controlled by the Democrats, black American civil employees where pushed out of federal government jobs, and the greatest number of bills proposing racial segregation and discrimination were introduced than had ever been proposed in our nation's history,

WHEREAS, even though Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt received the vote of many black Americans due to his "New Deal," he banned black American newspapers from the military because he was convinced the newspapers were communists and rejected anti-lynching laws pushed by Republicans, as well as efforts by Republicans to establish a permanent Civil Rights Commission that did not get established until 1958 under Republican President Dwight Eisenhower,

WHEREAS, Democrat President Harry Truman not only rejected Republican efforts to enact anti-lynching laws and establish a permanent Civil Rights Commission, but also failed to enforce his 1948 Executive Order designed to desegregate the military, an order that was not effectively enforced until Republican President Dwight Eisenhower was elected,

WHEREAS, with the party slogan: "Segregation Forever!," the Dixiecrats, who were Democrats, (a) formed the States' Rights Democratic Party for the presidential election of 1948; (b) remained Democrats for all local elections and all subsequent national elections; and (c) did not all migrate to the Republican Party as Democrats today falsely claim, but instead those racist Democrats died Democrats and had declared that they would rather vote for a "yellow dog" than a Republican because the Republican Party was known as the party for blacks,

WHEREAS, the Democratic Party supported the Topeka, Kansas school board in the "Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka", Kansas (a 1954 Supreme Court decision by Chief Justice Earl Warren who was appointed by Republican President Dwight Eisenhower) which declared that the "separate but equal" doctrine violated the 14th Amendment and ended school segregation,

WHEREAS, in 1954, Democrat Arkansas Governor Orville Faubus tried to prevent the desegregation of a Little Rock public school, resulting in Republican President Dwight Eisenhower sending federal troops to prevent violence and enforce a court order desegregating the Little Rock school,

WHEREAS, Democratic President John F. Kennedy was not a civil rights advocate because he: (a) voted against the 1957 Civil Rights Law (that was pushed by Republican President Dwight Eisenhower); (b) opposed the 1963 March on Washington by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (that was organized by black Republican A. Phillip Randolph); (c) authorized the FBI (supervised by his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy) to wiretap and investigate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on suspicion of being a communist in order to undermine that Civil Rights leader; (d) was later criticized by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for ignoring civil rights issues; and (e) only grudgingly agreed to make a telephone call to get Dr. King, Jr. out of the Birmingham jail after members of the King family requested Kennedy's help,

WHEREAS, after the nearly 100 years of opposition to civil rights laws by Democrats, Republican Senator Barry Goldwater, who voted for the 1957 Civil Rights Act and ran for president against Lyndon Johnson in 1964, was unfairly criticized by hypocritical Democrats because Goldwater was opposed to only portions of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that he believed was an unconstitutional expansion of federal powers,

WHEREAS, Democrat President Lyndon Johnson could not have achieved passage of civil rights legislation without the support of Republicans due to the strong opposition of Democrats, and in his 4,500-word State of the Union Address delivered on January 4, 1965, Johnson mentioned scores of topics for federal action, but only thirty five words were devoted to civil rights and not one word about voting rights,

WHEREAS, it was Republican Senator Everett Dirksen from Illinois, not Democrat President Lyndon Johnson, who was key to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and Dirksen was also instrumental to the enactment of civil rights legislation in 1957 and 1960, as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968 which prohibited discrimination in housing,

WHEREAS, the chief opponents of the 1964 Civil Rights Act were Democrat Senators Sam Ervin, Albert Gore, Sr. and Robert Byrd of West Virginia, a former "Keagle" in the Ku Klux Klan, who made a 14-hour filibuster speech in the Senate in June 1964 in an unsuccessful effort to block passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act,

WHEREAS, because Republican Senator Everett successfully fought to pass civil rights laws in the face of strong opposition to civil rights laws by the Democrats, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. hailed Senator Dirksen's "able and courageous leadership;" and "The Chicago Defender," the largest black-owned daily at that time, praised Senator Dirksen "for the grand manner of his generalship behind the passage of the best civil rights measures that have ever been enacted into law since Reconstruction,"

WHEREAS, the statement by Democrat President Lyndon Johnson about losing the South after passage of the 1964 civil rights law was not made out of a concern that racist Democrats would suddenly join the Republican Party that was fighting for the civil rights of blacks, but instead, was an expression of fear that the racist Democrats would again form a third party, such as the short-lived States' Rights Democratic Party,

WHEREAS, after Democrat President Lyndon Johnson expressed his concern that the racist Democrats in the South would be lost after the passage of the 1964 civil rights laws, Johnson's concern came true when Alabama's Democrat Governor George C. Wallace in 1968 started the American Independent Party that attracted other racist candidates, including Democrat Atlanta Mayor Lester Maddox,

WHEREAS, in March of 1968, while referring to the fact that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. left Memphis, Tennessee after riots broke out where a teenager was killed, Democrat Senator Robert Byrd called Dr. King a "trouble-maker" who starts trouble, but runs like a coward after trouble is ignited, which motivated Dr. King to return to Memphis a few weeks later where he was assassinated on April 4, 1968,

WHEREAS, Democrats expressed little, if any, concern when the racially segregated South voted solidly for Democrats; yet unfairly deride Republicans because of the thirty-year odyssey of the South switching to the Republican Party that began in the 1970's with President Richard Nixon's "Southern Strategy," which was an effort on the part of Nixon to get fair-minded people in the South to stop voting for Democrats who did not share their values, and who were discriminating against blacks,

WHEREAS, Republican President Richard Nixon began enforcement of Affirmative Action as a merit-based system to help African Americans prosper with his 1969 Philadelphia Plan (crafted by black Republican Art Fletcher) that set the nation's first goals and timetables, as well as his 1972 Equal Employment Opportunity Act that made merit-based Affirmative Action programs the law of our nation, but Democrats turned Affirmative Action into an unfair quota system;

WHEREAS, Democrat Senator Robert Byrd who was a fierce opponent of desegregating the military complained in one letter: "I would rather die a thousand times and see old glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again than see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen of the wilds,"

WHEREAS, in the early 1970's, Democrat Senator Robert Byrd pushed to have the Senate's main office building named after a former "Dixiecrat," Democrat Senator Richard Russell who was Senator Byrd's mentor and leading opponent of ant-lynching legislation, and in 2001 Senator Byrd was forced to apologize for using the "N-word" on television,

WHEREAS, Democrats did not denounce Democrat Senator Christopher Dodd who praised Senator Robert Byrd as someone who would have been "a great senator for any moment," including the Civil War; yet Democrats denounced Senator Trent Lott for his remarks about Senator Strom Thurmond who was never in the Ku Klux Klan and, after he became a Republican, defended blacks against lynching and the discriminatory poll taxes imposed on blacks by Democrats,

WHEREAS, Democrats today demean and discriminate against blacks including (a) Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy who called black judicial nominees "Neanderthals;" (b) Democrat Senator Harry Reid who slurred Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as someone who could not write good English; (c) Joe Biden while he was a Senator who boasted that his home state of Delaware was a slave state; (d) Democratic Party operatives who depicted Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele on the Internet as a "Simple Sambo;" (e) cartoonist Jeff Danziger and Pat Oliphant who portrayed Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice as a "stooge" and a bare foot, "Ignorant Mammy;" (f) Democratic Senator John F. Kerry who denounced affirmative action on the floor of the Senate in the 1990's; (g) President Bill Clinton who – following in the footsteps of his mentor J. William Fulbright, a staunch segregationist – refused to enforce a court-ordered affirmative action plan while president and was himself sued for discriminating against his black employees while he was the Governor of Arkansas; and (h) Barack Hussein Obama while he was an Illinois State senator who provided funding for slum projects in Chicago that kept blacks trapped in rat and roach infested housing, as well as while he was a US senator voted against the minimum wage bill and wrote a letter of support for former Klansman Robert Byrd that helped that racist win re-election,

WHEREAS, the Democratic Party's use of deception and fear to intimidate black Americans into voting for Democrats is consistent with the Democratic Party's heritage of racism that included sanctioning of slavery and kukluxery – a perversion of moral sentiment among leaders of the Democratic Party; and the Democratic Party's racist legacy bode ill until this generation of black Americans,

NOW, THEREFORE, for the documented atrocities and accumulated wrongs inflicted upon black Americans, we submit this petition to the head of the Democratic Party, Barack Hussein Obama, for a formal proclamation of apology for the Democratic Party's 150-year history of racism.

May you walk with the LORD always, and when you cannot take another step, may He carry you the rest of the way until you can walk along side Him again.

I made a mistake by adding this to the Open TrackBack's of today. I want to share with you some videos, and this is open for trackbacks over at Rosemary's News and Ideas. I will let this one stand, and I will just send my videos to all of you. How does that sound? ;)

These are some of my friends who have shared their wonderful posts with me: 1. Rosemary's News and Ideas: Please Sign My Petition.2. The Pink Flamingo: Remembering C. S. Lewis.C. S. Lewis died the same day as did President John F. Kennedy. Perhaps the greatest Christian writer and thinker of the 20th Century, he left a remarkable legacy of books, science, fiction, and fantasy...

BAGHDAD (Nov. 22, 2008) — Wurwood Kindergarten School officially reopened its doors Nov. 21 in the Rasheed neighborhood of Salman Pak after a two-month-long refurbishing period. The school has 350 students enrolled, ages 4 to 5 years old, and six classrooms. Prior to the refurbishment, the school could only hold 60 students. The school employs eight teachers, a director and an assistant.

“The neighborhood families feel safe sending their kids to the school,” said Nawad Abid Alaziz, the school’s headmistress, adding that the refurbishment flows in synch with the improved security in the area.

Capt. William Richardson, the commander of Company C, Task Force 2nd Bn., 6th Inf. Regt., 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, along with his Soldiers, attended the building dedication ceremony. His unit assisted the Iraqi Army (IA), local sheiks and contractors in achieving their success at the school. “The increased professionalism of the Iraqi Army has made the area more secure,” Richardson said.

The brightly painted and orderly school contrasts to what the building’s condition was a short time ago. Much of the building had been hit by gunfire and was strewn with garbage.

Alaziz led Richardson, along with Iraqi Army officers and local sheiks on a tour of the school. Alaziz said she was pleased with the $80,000 refurbishment and that she watches television and sees American kindergarten schools and dreams of having schools like that in Iraq to educate their children.

“We need more rugs, a hot water heater, space heaters for the classrooms and more furniture,” Alaziz told the group. Richardson said he felt improving education opportunities for the children requires efforts from all those involved.

“Yes, that’s very important because the kids are the future, and with the help of the IA, sheiks and neighborhood, we can make the school better,” said Richardson.

The kindergarten project is part of a larger program in the neighborhood. The overall objective of the Disarmament, Disbandment and Reintegration is to pump $5.6 million in the area to stimulate the economy and provide employment and vocational skills for lasting employability. The money will be spent on seven construction projects, which will include two more kindergarten schools in the neighborhood, a land registration office, roads, a clinic, new fire trucks and new ambulances.

Neighborhood children leave the Wurwood Kindergarten reopening ceremony Nov. 21 in Salman Pak, Iraq. The school completed a two month refurbishment and reopened its doors for students. The Iraqi Army, local Sheiks and Coalition Forces from Task Force 2-6 IN, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division assisted the kindergarten in completing the refurbishment.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Michael Yon is one of those people you just want to clone over and over again. He is our journalist overseas (everywhere!), and he survives with our prayers and financial support. This way, he is not bought. He is able to print articles as he sees them, and HE does the editing. A true American.

Yesterday he wrote a marvelous article about an Iraqi man and his family and their life during the war. Here is a taste:

Shortly after graduating, Bashar began service in the Iraqi Army Reserve, but that lasted only three months, because the U.S. crushed a great part of the Iraqi Army and then officially dissolved the rest. For three months, Bashar was one of those unemployed young men we worried about. He got a job in October of 2003 as a bodyguard for an Iraqi judge. His first job didn’t last long because insurgents assassinated the judge...His own safety, and therefore that of his loved ones, was in jeopardy, and so, as Bashar recalled, “I quit visiting my family for over four months.”

This is a must read. It isn't too long. Not as long as some of his posts are, anyway! lol.

I want to encourage you to write about this man and his family and their plight, and I would also like you to e-mail this family with words of welcoming and encouragement. It is truly a tribute of our Armed Forces, especially the 1-4 Cav in this case, as to their worthiness and why we should appreciate them.

If only the media would take the time to see America the way we do...oh well. Their loss!

Everyone have a very nice day. ;)

PS. If you would like to continue reading Michael, you may subscribe to his feed. You may also contribute to his everyday costs so we may continue to receive the raw truth. Thank you.

May you walk with the LORD always, and when you cannot take another step, may He carry you the rest of the way until you can walk along side Him again.

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About Me

I am a Christian Conservation woman who is pretty straight-forward. Do I ever get upset? Yes. Just give me a minute or two, then try again. ;)
Here are some of my other sites: Rosemary's Thoughts blog on Facebook, The Talon, Tea Party Patriots, SGP, TCU, Facebook, and Twitter. The rest may be found in my profile. May you walk in His Peace and Joy, and always be free because of the men and women who care enough to defend this country. God bless them, their families, and you.

Always On Watch, Laura Mansfield.
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The Republican Party has left its core principles to rot by the side of the road, so we are starting our very own American Conservative Party. Please feel free to join. We could use all CONSERVATIVE thoughts and discussions. Sorry, we are not a big tent. We have principles that will not be compromised. If you would like to belong to a party who means what they say and says what they mean (as long as you agree with those principles, of course), then this is the party for you. Thanks.
American Islamic Forum for Democracy.

Please help Californians by signing our Citizen Power Campaign petition. You can actually download the petition, sign it, get as many people as you can to sign it, and remember to watch the two videos that will let you know what you must do to make sure they are accepted. You must be a resident of California. Thank you.